Baby Birds
by Gooster Bold
Summary: When Robin and Batgirl's first kiss is broadcast on the news, both Batman and Commissioner Gordon decide to have a little talk with their children.
1. Chapter 1

Booster is Gold

Beetle is Blue

I don't own DC

So please don't sue.

This is a cutesy little DickxBabs fic about their first kiss. Any and all critiques are welcome.

* * *

"Robin. Now."

Bruce Wayne's voice boomed from the other side of the console computer as Robin parked his motorcycle on the platform. Robin has just returned from a solo patrol, as Bruce Wayne was required at a charity fundraiser. This was not unusual; Robin had been doing patrols alone for the last year and was doing a more than adequate job of it.

Robin took off his helmet and crossed the room to the chair where Bruce sat. Without a word, Bruce tapped a button on his keyboard and Vicki Vale's glowing personage flashed up on the screen.

"On the light side of things," Ms. Vale said in her classic newscaster timbre, "a keen-eyed Gothamite managed to snap a photo of our very own Robin and Batgirl in a rather tender moment."

Robin felt his chest tense as a low-resolution photograph of him and Batgirl kissing on a downtown rooftop replaced Vicki Vale's smiling face.

"Like most of you, I am not surprised. What does this budding young love hold for the future of Gotham?" The incriminating photo vanished from the screen and Vicki Vale smiled mockingly at Robin. "I don't know, but I'm excited to find out. This is Vicki Vale saying-"

Bruce paused the recording. He slow spun in his chair to face Robin. Robin couldn't bring himself to look Bruce in the eye and chose to instead stare at his boots. But as the seconds mounted, he could feel Bruce's increasingly cold stare on him. Bruce said nothing. Robin raised his hands to remove his domino mask.

"Bruce…" Dick said, raising his eyes. He nervously fidgeted with his mask in his hands.

"Why didn't you tell me, Dick?" Bruce's voice was low and intense, but not as intimidating as Dick had expected it to be.

"I don't know…" Dick knew. The relationship was new. Very new. He'd only just worked up the courage to ask Barbara out for coffee last week. Any one on the outside might have already considered Dick and Barbara an item for years. They had flirted endlessly since Dick his puberty, but in recent months it had become almost unbearably intense. He tried to take his mind off of her by dating girls at his high school, but it always felt wrong. No one had the connection that he and Barbara had.

Bruce waited a full minute before speaking again. It was the longest minute of Dick's life. "I can't say I didn't see it coming," he said finally. "It's part of my job to be observant."

Of course Bruce knew. Hiding a teenage infatuation from the world's greatest detective was like trying to fight Poison Ivy with store-brand weed killer. Dick bit his lip in anticipation.

"However, as much as I care for both you and Barbara, I can't say I'm happy about this. You're both very young and in a very dangerous line of work."

"I know, I know!" Dick protested. "But I think that's why we understand each other. That's why I think it could work."

Bruce nodded once. "I understand the appeal. People like us don't always have the luxury of a partner who knows about the life. But you have to understand that it doesn't always work."

Dick knew that Bruce was talking about Selina. Those two had been borderline making out in front of him since he was in pixie boots. They were currently in the "off" period of their on-again, off-again relationship and Bruce was feeling a bit bitter towards love at the moment.

"Barbara is a wonderful girl, Dick; I couldn't imagine a better match than you. But you need to be reasonable."

This felt more like nosey parenting than a genuine expression of concern to Dick. "This isn't like you and Selina, Bruce," he said sharply.

Bruce leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "Whatever are you talking about?"

"This isn't about relieving ten years' worth of sexual tension with a 3am rooftop bang. I like Babs more than that."

"Don't be like that. My relationship with Selina is more complicated than that."

"You routinely have sex with a criminal. Of course it's complicated."

Bruce frowned. "I don't expect you to understand the things I do, but Selina and I are adults."

"Babs is an adult," Dick interrupted. "And I'm 16. What are you saying? That we aren't mature enough to hold hands and drink coffee at the same table?"

"I don't want you making the same mistakes I did… do… continue to." Bruce shook his head. "I just want you to be sure that you know what you're getting into."

"I like Babs. A lot. I want this."

Truthfully, Dick had no idea what 'this' was. The photographed kiss had been their first, and was actually more of a whim than some clumsily-planned thing. It came as a result of Batgirl whispering a flirtatious remark about Robin's well-toned backside into his ear. A second, heavy with tension and hormones, passed and was finished by Robin instinctively pressing his lips to hers. When it was over, he opened his eyes and saw her eyelashes flutter in the daze resulting from their first kiss. His heart skipped a beat.

Bruce's mouth twisted into something between thoughtfulness and contempt. There was silence again.

"You're both very important to me," Bruce said. "Obviously. I see you as my son, Dick. I always hope for your happiness, and I hope you know that you can trust me. You deserve each other."

He spun his chair away from Dick and resumed tapping away at his console. Dick took a deep breath and put his mask back on.

"Dad…" Robin whispered before spinning on his heels and running back to his motorcycle. He revved it loudly before zipping out of the cave, back to Barbara.

Bruce smiled his classic half-smile, pulled his cowl up, and prepared to finish the night patrol on his own. As he stepped into the Batmobile, he realized that his baby bird was growing up.


	2. Chapter 2

Police Commissioner Jim Gordon was not a vain man. He believed that anyone who was privy to as much information and had as many interactions as he did would have been able to deduce what he had deduced. Of course he knew that Batman was Bruce Wayne and, by association, Robin was Dick Grayson. He chose to not reveal this knowledge out of respect for Gotham's flagship vigilantes. He had figured it out after many years of working closely with the Dynamic Duo, and he knew that Batman knew.

It had taken him exactly one second to realize that Batgirl was his daughter. The very thought of his daughter believing that he wouldn't recognize her voice or face was borderline offensive. Still, she had proven herself time and again to be an amazing crime fighting and as well as extremely good at balancing her dual lives. He could not have been prouder of her. He kept his daughter's secret safe from everyone.

So when he saw his little girl locking lips with the Boy Wonder, he had no idea what he was going to do. He did not think that simply watching the news on his night off would lead to something that felt similar to snooping on his daughter's personal life. Furthermore, he did not much care for Barbara hooking up with a boy who would no doubt die in his line of work.

Like Batman, however, Jim saw this coming. And, like Batman, he wanted his adoptive child to be secure and happy.

When Barbara practically floated through the front door, half-heartedly covering her bruised jaw with her ginger hair, Jim decided to subtly confront her.

"Sweetie," he said, "come here."

She cheerfully strode down the hallway into the living room.

"What is it, Dad?" she chirped.

Jim could see the dreamy look in her eyes as she smiled at him. "You should see this."

He raised the remote control and tapped 'play', and Vicki Vale gleefully recounted the kiss between Batgirl and Robin earlier this evening. Barbara had no idea how to react. When the photo appeared, she clenched her teeth. She was humiliated that something intended to be private had become public almost immediately. Her eyes followed the onscreen commentary until her father muted the television.

"Isn't that just adorable?" he said.

"Y-yeah! Super adorable!" she stammered. "They're perfect together!"

"You know, it's kind of obvious when you think about it. I mean, they spend so much time together, they were bound to kiss at some point. That's how kids are."

Barbara smiled, holding back the semi-patronizing feeling she got from her father. "Well… not all teenagers are like that."

"Barbara." Jim raised an eyebrow. "I'm not as old as you might think. I remember being a teenager, too."

She forced herself to smile. "Of course, Dad."

Barbara knew herself and she knew that the raging hormones had not hit her as hard as they had hit her schoolmates. She knew she had… desires, but she was fully in control of them. She wasn't so sure about Robin, though. When she was his age, the boys resembled monsters more than anything else.

She shook her head slightly. No, Dick isn't like those boys. She had never met a boy who was more mature for his age. Even when they met and he was only a kid, he was still more grown up than most people in their twenties.

"It's a shame, though. They're both so young and doing such dangerous work. You'd think Batgirl would rather date someone more stable."

"I think Robin understands Batgirl, though."

Jim nodded. "I agree. Batgirl isn't likely to meet many boys who'd be willing to deal with her… unusual lifestyle choice. But still, Robin does dangerous work."

"So does Batgirl!"

"—And so does Batgirl, but I just can't help but think she'd be better off with a normal boy."

"Maybe they really like each other. A lot."

Jim grew quiet, thoughtful. "I hadn't considered that. I mean, they're just kids."

"I think they're old enough to make their own decisions."

"Yes. Yes, you're right."

Jim had barely had the time to consider his daughter's age. She was already in her first year of college, but he could still remember her first day of kindergarten like it was yesterday. He had forgotten how the years kept coming and going, even after the death of his wife. He had buried himself in his work, focussed on keeping the city safe for his children, who had proven themselves to be more than capable. Especially Barbara, who, in a way, was following in his footsteps. He wanted to protect her from the city, but she was protecting the city itself.

He thought of all the boys she dated in high school, but never felt the need to protect her from them. Maybe he didn't need to protect her now.

"Yes. I think they'll be happy together."

Barbara smiled warmly and gently dropped onto the couch next to her father. "Me too."

Jim put his arm on the couch behind her. "So, how's school?"

"Oh… you know. Stressful. We're coming up to exam season soon."

He chuckled. "Oh yes, I remember that old song and dance. You just take it easy."

"I'll do my best, but I have no idea how I'm going to survive this."

"Ha ha. I'm sure you'll be fine." Jim smiled. "Anything else? Any… boys I should know about?"

"Dad!" Barbara threw a decorative couch pillow at his face and blushed.

He pulled the pillow from his face onto his lap. "Oh, is that a yes?"

"I-I don't know yet. It's sort of new."

"Well, you let me know when it's 'official'. I'd like to meet the boy who thinks he's good enough for my little girl."

Barbara smiled and took the pillow back from him. She hugged it. "You might know him already."

"Well isn't that something. Who is it?"

"I'm not telling yet!"

"Fine, fine. When you're ready, I'm all ears."

They watched TV quietly for an hour or so before Barbara decided to go to bed.

"Good night, Daddy," she said, kissing Jim on the cheek.

"Good night, sweetie." Jim watched his newly-in-love grown-up daughter happily bounce off to bed.


	3. Chapter 3

This is the final chapter of _Baby Birds_. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Barbara entered her room. She turned on the radio, sat at her vanity, and brushed her hair. As the music filled her mind, she replayed the kiss in her head. It had been so instinctive, but it still surprised her.

She didn't even realize that the trip to the café was anything other than a social visit until she arrived and Dick looked like he was going to throw up out of nervousness.

Dick Grayson usually acted differently around her than Robin did. Dick was suave, charming, and constantly seemed to be hinting at something. He took after his dad that way. Robin, on the other hand, was adorable. He still said pseudo-profanities like 'golly' and had a youthful enthusiasm for his work. He took every patrol seriously, even when the situation didn't necessarily merit seriousness, but still managed to pepper his conversations with puns. In that respect, it was obvious he was Batman's protégé, and not Batman.

They had always had amazing rapport with one another. It was almost as though they had direct lines into the other's brain. If Robin started a joke by punching a henchman in the face, Batgirl would finish it by kicking the henchman in the gut. They knew each other's movements and catchphrases. They were nearly synched up.

Which is why Barbara was so surprised that she hadn't realized Dick had a crush on her. She thought she knew everything the cuter half of the dynamic duo was thinking. Instead, she was taken off-guard by Dick's out-of-character nail biting. She grabbed a latte before sitting at the table with him, and he immediately thrust a small bouquet of daisies at her. Everything fell into place. This was a date and he was trying his hardest to be sweet.

Truthfully, if she had known this was a date, then she might not have agreed to it. After all, he was still in high school. What would everyone think? Did this make her a cradle-robber? A cougar?

Then again… Dick was shockingly mature for his age, everyone said so. Something tiny like two years' difference would mean nothing in a year. She cleared the tension by thanking him for the flowers and encouraging him to speak. The anxieties disappeared. He relaxed and told her about the first night they met and how much he had admired her since.

"Bruce was mad," he'd begun. "But I was so excited. Gotham can be really lonely at night. It's hard to carry a conversation with someone like him."

"I know," she'd said. "He's not the easiest person to get close to."

"So when we talked and you were so nice, I knew that we were supposed to be friends."

"Obviously."

"Between patrols, stake-outs, and ass-kickings, you proved me right. You were the nicest masked person I'd ever met."

"Nicer than KF?"

"KF's, um… aggressively friendly."

They'd laughed. Barbara and Kid Flash didn't really mesh, but she could certainly agree with that description.

"So, you know, time passed…" Dick continued.

"Is that all I get?"

"What?"

"You try to pull some big romantic gesture and then move it along with 'time passed'?"

"Uh…" Dick shrunk back with embarrassment and thrust his hands into his jacket pockets. He pulled out his sunglasses and threw them onto his face. He was cool again. "Yes, well. You know."

She laced her fingers together and leaned forward. "Yes?"

"And at some point it all made sense. I knew that I liked you. It was pretty obvious." He put his hands behind his head and casually leaned back. "But… you know, the age thing. I mulled it over in my head for a long time before I decided to ask you out."

"How long?"

"About a year."

"A year?" Barbara couldn't believe it. Dick Grayson, whom she'd always known to be confident, calculated, and outspoken, took an entire year to do something as minor as ask a girl out to coffee.

"Yes?"

"You've dated at least three girls in the last year, than I know of."

Dick sipped at his cup. "Five. And I thought that you'd say no, so I did my best to resist confronting you… then I wound up 'sist'ing and here we are."

"You're ridiculous, Grayson."

"I know."

She watched him grin over the rim of his cup and she couldn't help but grin back.

"So…" he said, hesitant yet again. "Would you like to come to the art gallery with me?"

"Absolutely."

They had a wonderful, perfectly innocent afternoon touring the art gallery together. Afterwards, he took her out for dinner at a local bistro and they very nearly held hands under the table. Barbara became more and more comfortable with the idea of dating the heir to half of Gotham. He dropped her off at home before they started patrol, and they hugged a little bit longer than what might have been considered appropriate.

And then on the rooftop. The city was quiet that night. Two muggings and a bank robbery later, they were bored of waiting for crime to present itself. Their dialogue turned to earlier that day.

"This is nowhere near as fun as an afternoon in an art gallery," Robin mused, hoping to stir some kind of romantic thoughts. "That Renaissance exhibit was absolutely beautiful."

"I don't know, I'm looking at a pretty fantastic work of art right now."

Batgirl didn't realize what she had said until it was already out. Robin turned his head and looked her in the eye. She blushed. Before she knew what was happening, he kissed her softly on the lips. The embarrassing flirtation disappeared from her mind, she closed her eyes, and she melted into his lips.

It was over quickly. Robin pulled away hesitantly and took a deep breath.

"I, um… I need to go back to the Cave now," he said. "Bruce should be home now."

"Oh. Yeah, okay…"

He disappeared in a second, leaving a blushing Batgirl sitting alone. She took a few minutes to calm herself before she went home too.

Barbara pulled herself back to reality. She sighed deeply, almost dramatically, and stood up. She wrapped her arms around her waist and began to pull her sweater over her head. That's when she heard a soft tap on his window. She wasn't surprised when she saw Robin standing on her balcony. She slowly opened the sliding glass door and stood in front of him.

"Babs."

"Robin."

He leaned up against the doorframe and smiled cheekily. "Did you see the news? We're famous."

"So I hear," she said, smiling back. "I was hoping we could keep it under wraps for a while longer, but I guess we're not the only people watching the city."

"I got a real talking-to from the big daddy bat, but I think I got his blessing." Robin laughed.

"I think my dad knows, too. He seemed awfully… well, let's just say that every time he said 'Batgirl' he looked straight at me." Barbara pursed her lips.

"Babs, I am ninety-nine percent sure that Commissioner Gordon knows who you are at night. I am ninety-nine point nine percent sure he knows who Batman and I are during the day. We've been working with him for years."

"You're right." Barbara flashed a sweet smile. "He is my dad, after all."

They smiled at each other. Robin laced his gloved fingers with Barbara's, who used her free hand to touch his face and gently thumb the outline of his mask. He slowly inched his face towards hers, and she slid her hand to the back of his neck.

When their lips touched, the world was silent. There were no sirens, no cars speeding by, no screams of people who needed saving. It was short, quiet, and perfect.

"Thanks, Boy Wonder," she breathed, taking a step backwards.

"See you on tomorrow night's patrol?" he said, his eyes pleading.

"Of course."


End file.
